Scientists bring animal heart back to life

[jolinar of malkshor]

Researchers have brought a dead animal heart back to life in the lab by repopulating it with healthy cells, a feat they believe may someday allow them to grow new hearts and other organs for people desperate for transplants.

In a paper published online Sunday in Nature Medicine, researchers at the University of Minnesota describe the process of revitalizing the heart of a euthanized laboratory rat, which begins with washing out the interior cells to leave just the outer shell of the organ.

The scientists then injected the empty sac with heart cells from newborn rats. Within days, the cells had multiplied to flesh out the heart, which began beating on its own.

"We've taken organs from cadavers, removed all the cells, put cells back in and been able to reanimate what was previously a dead organ," said molecular biologist Doris Taylor, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota.

"What that means, we hope, is that one day if you need a new organ we'll be able to take your cells, transplant them into this framework or scaffold, and build you an organ that works for you," she said from Minneapolis-St. Paul.

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2008/...eneration.html

Not much longer folks and we will be creating organs in a dish in a lab. Average age will increase to well over 100

[Cliche]

I for one welcome our newly reanimated old overlords.

However, they didn't say how long the transplanted cells lasted, or if the dead organ was able to continue to function. Anyways, it may not work for the brain, so there might be a zombie outbreak soon.

[arsenal]

Excellent! My plan is coming to fruition!!!
http://www.cracked.com/article_15643...ly-happen.html

[Hack&Lube]

Dear Whizbang Scientists,

I'd like to flush out all my braincells and repopulate them if possible please. Please write back to me as soon as possible.

Thanks very much.
-J

[Traditional_Ale]

I wonder if this could be used to improve the play of Anders Ericksson?

[Cheese]

Bloody fantastic...maybe they can dig up enough cells to keep Cowperson and I going until 2100!!!

[Slava]

Who knew that intelligent design wasn't really that intelligent after all...just some bio-tech guys with beakers playing around!

[chris lindberg]

I read the story, so this was just the heart, the rat didn't come back to life though?

[Dr GonZo]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Bloody fantastic...maybe they can dig up enough cells to keep Cowperson and I going until 2100!!!

[Flashpoint]

Zombie heart.

Time to go buy that survival guide I've been thinking about.